TO SHOWCASE its various hospital areas and facilities, the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) held its first virtual open hospital tour on Friday, August 13, 2021, in time of the National Hospital Week Celebration 2021.
Among the facilities the VSMMC highlighted are its oxygen plant, Covid-19 intensive care units, Center for Behavioral Sciences, Department of Public Works and Highways Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facility-VSMMC extension hospital, and its wards.
The VSMMC Office of Strategy Management said this activity aims to inform its stakeholders of its efforts to address pressing health issues and ensure them of the hospital's "responsive" solutions.
Lawyer Paul Gino Lopez, chief administrative office of the VSMMC, said the hospital’s existing oxygen generating plant is capable of producing 760 tanks of oxygen daily.
Lopez said the current daily oxygen consumption of VSMMC is around 100 tanks per day.
"As to the question of sufficiency, we may appear smiling to the public, but we are really apprehensive because with the rising surge of Covid-19 cases, we cannot say that it is enough. It is actually critical right now, especially that peripheral facilities nagkinahanglan na karon, nag lack na karon ani nga supply," he said.
"That is enough for our patients right now nga nagkinahanglan og oxygen karon sa atong facility, but if the case continues to surge and many patients will be coming in, because I know we'll be expanding as the need arises, in fact, Dr. Aquino said that (in) worst-case scenario this facility will be fully dedicated Covid-19 facility, so in that case, mulapas na gani ta sa 300 patients requiring for oxygen, murag critical na ta," he added.
He then appealed to the government to give additional budget to VSMMC, saying the VSMMC's oxygen plant can still expand so it can generate more oxygen supply.
Lopez said the present oxygen-generating plant of VSMMC costs almost P120 million, including civil works cost, and around half of this amount may be needed for the expansion of the facility.
Maureen Bien, chief finance officer of VSMMC, said since the facility is already there, they will just have to procure necessary equipment for additional modular to expand its production capacity.
She also said aside from its own oxygen generating plant, the VSMMC also has its partner supplier as part of its contingency plan should the supply generated in its own plant will not be enough for their patients.
Lopez said other hospitals can tap VSMMC for help if they ran out of oxygen supply and if the need arises. However, this is after they can also ensure that the needs of their patients are met.
Moreover, the VSMMC also presented its Critical Care Units (CCU) and Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Disease Areas, which are built to cater to critical Covid-19 cases.
There are 10 beds in the CCU area. Each bed has a cardiac monitor.
The ratio of nurses to patient at the CCU area is mostly one is to four, which means one nurse caters to four patients.
Each division of bed in the CCU is equipped with a functioning suctioning machine and one defibrillator.
There are also 12 beds in the ICU area of VSMMC with nine regular ICU beds.
The ratio of patients to nurses is mostly one is to three.
It is also equipped with a defibrillator and a shared ECG machine. (WBS)